Fibromyalgia

[Indo]

Hi Guys, Have any practitioners had any luck using Acupuncture for the treatment of Fibromyalgia?
I have treated it a few times but never with any substantial effect as many are not prepared to continue with the financial commitment of Acupuncture. I tend to see very gradual decline in symptoms after around 10 treatments, but it is so slow to respond that patients lose heart in the treatment.
Alos i find this condition so heavily ingrained on the physco-emotional element that it is hard to define what the condition is presenting and what the patient is actual manifesting through negative feedback.
On top of that the medication that is prescribed seems to cause alot of blood stagnation which in turn causes more pain so the patient never knows whether they are coming or going.
Has anyone had any luck with a particular presciption?
I do feel that herbs might have a better effect...any thoughts are much appreciated.

I have however decided to teach my current patient Qi Gong so she can mange her condition herself...hope it works.
INDO

[CarolineN]

Hi Indo - Nice to see you back!

I've had FM for many years and now have acupuncture (5-Principle) 3-weekly and it keeps it under control. If I leave it too long it starts creeping back. Not into TCM but these are my experiences:

Stress doesn't help at all, but as you say there is so much else going on. My spleen channel and often the gallbladder channels need a lot of support. Not been prescribed anything except right at the beginning and not sure how much it helped. I have had to sort out food intolerances, thyroid and gut flora too - a lot of these problems start with imbalanced gut flora, often due to antibiotics, infections or stress (BIG subject!). I've been learning Tai Chi which under the recent more stressful period I let drop - and I'm beginning to stiffen up! Restarting tonight .

Can't advise on herbs, except boswellia and curcumin are pain-relieving and may help. Diet is probably a good place to start, making sure it's a wholefood diet enriched with nuts, seeds and green vegetables. Magnesium malate is helpful, as many are short of it and it helps muscles relax along with a general quality multi. Patrick Holford recommends Psychocalisthenics as being useful - no doubt also covered by Qigong!.

Not a lot of help I'm afraid. You might like to look at this site and this book for what I believe may be an explanation of what's going on.

All the best.

[Oliver29]

Hi Indo,

I would think the condition relates to "fear of taking the required action in life" but because it's a chronic condition, it's not surprising that it takes time to respond. I can't answer your question because I don't do acupuncture.

All the best
Oliver

[Indo]

Thanks Caroline, thats exactly the kind of repsonse i need. The article that you included is right in many ways. CFS, Fibromyalgia and PTSS , etc, are pretty much in the same category of treatment 'energy wise' although they all have different psyco-emotional aspects.

There always seems to be a traumatic event attached that triggers a response be it an illness or emotional event.

The sheer magnitude of the 'event' uses up all the energy reserves and the patient is left quite literally drained!

In Chinese medicine this effects our very essence leaving the whole energy system taxed to a very low level.

So there is a very uniform depletion in digestion, muscle strength, immunity and emotional strength. There will always be a certain aspect that shows more than others and this is predisposed to each individual constituional traits and past illness.

I think acupuncture is helpful but alot of treatment is needed like you mentioned and many cannot afford this kind of therapy over a long period.

I believe these conditions require a very gentle and progressive build in energy while gently nourishing the physical body through nutrition and exercise.

The immediate shock of these events can leave a once healthy and strong person in a state of limbo as to why they cannot recover to their previous health. They can get stuck in a 'why me' vicious cycle and very effort seems a struggle. Also many leave these conditions to deteriorate over many years and western medicine has no real answers and I feel that the mediciation only adds to the drain of the energy system.

There is an answer! Qi Gong!

All the symptoms and signs of thses conditions is perfectly suited to Qi Gong, you could say Qi Gong is made for thses illnesses as it will incorperate eveything that Qi Gong training is about. Slow, Gentle and progressive training, self awareness, nutritional balance and living in tune with the natural world.

Those who suufer must realise that this is for life and you must think of the long term future. Recovery has to be gradual.

A compltet adjustment in lifestyle might be needed, but if someone is to recover in order to lead a fullfilling life then it must be a priority.

Tai Chi is also another system that will help but id anyone is to use this route I would suggest find a competant teacher with experience in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The UK is full of 'Tai Chi' teachers that teach for health benefits and have only attended a few days or weeks training, as a result you are just practising a set of movements. Although still beneficial to health, I believe that it is the Qi Gong element that makes Tai Chi health, the rest is martial.

Last night my patient came to her first Qi Gong class, after just 10 minutes into the warm up she mentioned herself getting tired and aching. I suggested that she prctised seated if she wished to. Sixty minutes later she was still standing and had managed the whole class like my other students, some of which have be attending for a while! She had a smile on her face and did not complain before leaving.

I will call her in a couple days to see what her fellings are compared to the acupuncture treatment I have been providing for her.......I'll let you know

Excuse the self promotion but I have been teaching Qi Gong to a few sufferers for the past two years and now have a Qi Gong Foundation Course that can be attended to learn Qi Gong for your self to help manage these conditions. I think they will be very effective.

Check your local press for Qi Gong Classes or maybe Tai Chi, Think of the long term plan and enjoy the present.

Back Soon

INDO

[Indo]

Hi Oliver, You are exactly right!
Our very Essence is closely related to our Kidney energy and its emotional aspect is fear. Once this energy is replenished the feeling of fear should subside.
The body is only protecting itself, yet it does not know why. Genious!!!
The hardest part, like all emotional issues is letting go of the 'why' and excepting that your body has done a great deed by keeping you alive during traumatic times.

INDO

[Indo]

Originally Posted by CarolineN

Hi Indo - Nice to see you back!

. I've been learning Tai Chi which under the recent more stressful period I let drop - and I'm beginning to stiffen up! Restarting tonight .

A very common mistake! Its times like this when we should be practising more! Yet we let 'life' get in the way.

I have this heading on my website Qi Gong page ' Life is only hard when you lose time to be soft'

I think that says it all, good luck withh the training, it will be the best journey you make.

[David- Maldon]

I've treated fibromyalgia in several patients but would hesitate to assert that its any one particular dysfunction as the symptoms and the patients differed in each case. What was similar though, was essentially a Qi deficiency with Spleen involvement (heavy aching muscles, fatigue etc) and several patients showing strong Liver Blood Xu (pale skin, dizziness) and Kd Yang Xu.

I'd agree that Qi Gong would be excellent for these sufferers. Tai Chi tends to stimulate Qi flow through the meridians, and anyone with generalised Deficiency could easily find themselves very tired. As a former tai chi instructor with 15 years experience of teaching folk with health problems, I'd suggest very low levels of tai chi to start with, as the movement can worsen muscle pain and fatigue, which can last for days. Qi gong supports the development of Qi in a way that some taught styles of tai chi often don't, somethimes becoming more of an aerobic exercise not necessarily suitable for fibromyalgia.

I've used low levels of electro-acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia, usually at 2Hz for 20minutes. This can have a cumulative effect, but needs repeating every 5 days or so. You have to go carefully, as the stimulation can be too much for some, and it has a tendency to override the relaxation effect which is often so useful.

Interestingly, may people with fibromyalgia have a history of whiplash. This seems to "super-stimulate" the nervous system into becoming hypersensitive to the normal aches and pains of living, so going gently with any physical activity is helpful, stopping way before becoming tired. Anyone with a Qi deficiency uses up Qi during hard exercise, so gently does it.